Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 236: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of people suffering from respiratory conditions here and in each EU country; the research undertaken to identify the cause or causes of the exceptionally high level here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9766/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Comparable figures on the prevalence of respiratory conditions across the European Union are not available. The reason for this is that these conditions cover a very wide range of diagnoses from minor to acute or chronic disease which are not generally notifiable or covered by specific disease registries. Data are available for hospitalisation for respiratory diseases and for mortality resulting from these diseases. The recent INHALE report noted that Ireland continues to have high overall mortality rates from respiratory disease. However, data from the World Health Organisation shows that rates of decline in mortality from respiratory conditions in Ireland have been very rapid, particularly in the last 10 years, and that the gap with our EU counterparts has closed significantly over this period. When the respiratory category is broken down into more specific conditions, improvements are particularly marked in certain areas. For example, for bronchitis, emphysema and asthma Ireland now has one of the lowest mortality rates in the EU. Death rates from chronic lower respiratory disease have decreased by 40% since 1999 compared with a 20% reduction for the EU as a whole. The reduction in mortality from pneumonia has also been steep although Ireland continues to have double the death rate compared with the EU average. Respiratory conditions remain a very significant cause of chronic illness and of mortality in Ireland, but considerable progress is being made which can be attributed to a variety of causes including improved medical treatment and better environmental and lifestyle factors such as reduction in smoking.